Wagering game machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines, and the like, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years. Generally, the popularity of such machines depends on the likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machine and the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to other available gaming options. Where the available gaming options include a number of competing machines and the expectation of winning at each machine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players are most likely attracted to the most entertaining and exciting of the machines. Consequently, shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and exciting machines available because such machines attract frequent play and increase profitability for the operator. In the competitive wager gaming machine industry, there is a continuing need for manufacturers to produce new game types or to enhance entertainment and excitement associated with existing wager gaming machines.
Computerized wagering games have largely replaced traditional mechanical wagering game machines such as slot machines, and are rapidly being adopted to implement computerized versions of games that are traditionally played live such as poker and blackjack. These computerized games provide many benefits to the game owner and to the gambler, including greater reliability than can be achieved with a mechanical game or human dealer, more variety, sound, and animation in presentation of a game, and a lower overall cost of production and management.
One aspect of modern computerized wagering games is that a single console or cabinet is capable of providing several different games, similar to a personal computer. In certain wagering game machines, non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) is used to store critical data. Such critical data may include game history data, accounting data, security data, player tracking data, or other game state data. Typically, modifying the set of games on a wagering game machine necessitates re-initializing or re-formatting the NVRAM and losing any existing critical data. Retaining critical data between game installations is advantageous to maintain a consistent playing environment. When installing or modifying games on a computerized wagering machine, it is desirable to effectively manage critical data to ensure game integrity.